Coke oven door latch



P. VAN ACKEREN ET AL COKE OVEN DOOR LATCH Filed Nov. 29, 1951 May 22,1956 United States Patent COKE OVEN DOOR LATCH Paul Van Ackeren andFranz Doll, Essen, Germany, as-

signors, by mesne assignments, to Koppers Company, Inc., Pittsburgh,Pa., a corporation of Delaware Application November 29, 1951, Serial No.258,792

7 Claims. (Cl. 292-259) The present invention relates to a door lockingdevice for horizontal coke ovens, wherein the door member when in lockedposition is kept close to the door frame by spring pressure on a latchbar carried by a bolt and wherein a bolt carrying a latch bar issituated outside the pressureway between the lock spring and latch barwhen the door locking device is in the locked position, and the lock isloosened by the latch bolt so that it acts on the lock spring andinterrupts the spring pressure on the latch bar.

The main object of the present invention consists in providing the doorlock with such a construction that it may be used either for latching bymeans of lock spring pressure or for latching without spring pressure,and by tightening by means of bearing screws provided on the bolt. Thenecessity of latching coke oven doors provided with lock springs butwithout applying the spring pressure, will arise for instance from thefailure of operation of the individual spring washers in a unitedassembly when no spares are at hand and the supply of spare springs willrequire much time. It may also happen that the mechanical device foroperating the bolt to compress the springs fails, and the repair theretois somewhat delayed so that a manual latching is necessary withoutemploying the spring pressure. The present invention eiects this manualunlatching only by the application of a pressing elect of the bolt on ahub on the latch bar, which pressing eiect is induced by turning a screwthreaded bolt on mating screw threads. This action requires less powerwhen loosening the door lock than is required for'compression of thesprings when all the spring washers are operative for locking action.

A more specific object and advantage of the invention is the readyattainment of the main object by easily operable means in the simpleform of a latch bar hub with a collar and a latch bolt with a collarwhich coact to cornpress the spring, and in which the latch bar and hubare reversible, whereby the door may be latched by the same latch boltand latch bar without use of the spring, and more particularly by merelyrotating the latch bolt in a screw threaded bearing therefor on the dooras in the prior conventional method of manual latching of coke ovendoors.

A further specific object and advantage of the invention is theprovision of screw threads for swinging of the latch relative to a hubfor supporting it on the latch bolt whereby the hub may be threadedlyadjusted in an axial direction of the bolt Without a correspondingturning of the entire latch bar for the purpose of adjusting the sealingpressure.

A still further object and advantage of the invention is the provisionof a threaded construction between the hub and the rest of the latch barwhereby on rotation of the rest of the latch bar on the hub, the hub isrestrained from turning whereas the rest of the latch bar, in moving tounlatching relation, automatically moves out away from the door, thuspermitting the use of arms for the latch bar in close proximity to ovenparts in the area of the doorway which may be moved out of contacttherewith, without requiring other great power to be applied for thepurpose should the sealing spring be compressed too much thus jammingthe arms against such oven parts, in unlatching the door.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification andshowing for purposes of exempliiication a preferred apparatus and methodin which the invention may be embodied and practised but withoutlimiting the claimed invention specifically to such illustrativeinstance or instances, the drawings show a horizontal section takenthrough a coke oven door embodying the features of the presentinvention, said door being in operating position at the end of acoking-chamber of a horizontal coke oven and wherein the door s shown inFig. l in the spring locked position, and in Fig. 2 in the lockedposition without springs.

Referring now to the drawings: 30 is the brickwork constituting the cokeoven structure and is one end of the coking chambers 2 of a coke ovenbattery. 28 is the metal covering mounted on an insulating layer 29covering the brickwork 30 on either side of the mouth of the cokingchamber 2. 31 is one of the buckstays of the coke oven battery.

The mouth of each end of the coking chambers is snrrounded by a castmetal door frame 8 of L-shaped cross section held against the ends ofthe brickwork 36 in any suitable manner, not shown. The refractory plugportion 1 of the oven door projects into the coke oven chamber 2 and issupported by a cast iron door-back frame 3. The door back frame 3 isconnected with a door plate 4 which is provided with a door liange 5extending all around the door plate. The sealing frame 6 which isconnected with the door plate 4 seals with its llanged end 7, in thelocked position of the door, against the sealing surface ot the doorframe 8. On the door .trame 8 latch hooks 9 are arranged behind whichthe arm means of the double arm latch bar 10 grasps when the door is inlocked position.

Screw bolts 32 mounted in angular brackets 33 fixed on the ange 5 of thedoor plate 4 serve for pressing the edge portion 17 of frame 6 againstthe sealing surface of the door frame 8.

A preferred embodiment of the invention comprises an axially movablelatch bolt member in which a latch bolt 12 is screwed at its rearportion into a mounting 1l which is connected with the door plate 4. Therear portion ot the bolt is secured against twisting or turning, as bymeans of a key. The front end portion l of the latch bolt 12 is alsoscrew threaded and provided with an axially movable part in the form ofa nut portion la which is axially adjustably arranged on the thread ofthe front end 13 of the latch bolt and provided with an abutment meniberin the form of a collar 15. The front end i6 ot the nut portion 14projects beyond the latch bar hub 17 of the latch bar 1t) and is madepolygonal so that the adjustable nut portion 14 may be turned by meansof hand wrench, or a corresponding coupling member oi a mechanicaldevice for operating the latch.

The latch bar hub T7 is provided at the one end with a cooperatingabutment in the form of a collar l which in Fig. 1 is directed by collarl5 toward the oven chamber. The latch bar arm means l@ rests thereforethrough its latch bar hub 17, by means of a ball bearing i9, on themovable part in the form of the adjustable nut portion ld of the latchbolt 12 in such a manner that when turning the adjustable nut portion 14of the latch bolt for the axial inward movement a corresponding pressureis exerted through ball bearing 19 against the abutment collar 18, ofthe latch bar hub 17 to release the latch bar hub from the pressureurging it towards the latch hooks 9 and the latch bar 1i) is therebymoved from its rest against the latch hooks 9. The abutment collar 18,of the latch bar hub 17 thereby presses against a pressure plate 2t)which is rigidly connected by fastening means, studs 21, with the latchbar hub 17. Thereby a spring assembly is compressed formed of lockspring washers 22. As is apparent from Fig. l the remaining innerportion of the latch bar hub 17 is substantially made cylindrical sothat should the adjustable nut portion 14 be turned sutciently far backaxially outward in the opposite direction in locking the door, thecollar l no longer exerts pressure against the pressure plate and spring22, out rather the spring exerts pressure on the collar to spring latchthe door against latch hook 9 through latch bar 10.

The spring washers 22 are accommodated in a housing 23 the bottom ofwhich is connected by studs 25 with the mounting 11. The pressure plate2li also constitutes a restraining means and is provided with key arms26 which engage into openings or receptacles in the housing 23 so thatthe pressure plate 20 and the latch bar hub 17 convnected thereto cannotbe rotated when latch bar 10 is swung on hub 17 as a pivot.

For loosening the locked door the head 16 of the movable part in theform of the axially adjustable nut portion 14 of the latch bolt 12 isengaged and turned so that the spring washers 22 are somewhat compressedand the latch bar 10 moved from resting against the latch hooks 9. Nowthe latch bar 10 is swung out of the reach of the hooks 9. The threadbetween the latch bar hub 17 and latch bar arm means 10 is soconstructed that when the latch bar arm means is swung it is moved awaysomewhat from the oven in a direction outwardly along the oven axis. Inthis manner it is possible to easily swing the latch bar 1i) inunlatching the door, if the same should come to rest or iam against theflange which extends all around the door plate when compressing spring23.

When returning the door to the oven mouth the spring washers 22 of thedoor are held compressed by the mechanical device for operating thelatch, which device is mounted on the conventional door lifting deviceand the springs 22 have the same extent of compression as in looseningthe locked door. The latch bar arm means can therefore readily be swungagain into its closing position with latch hooks 9.

ln order to be able to remove the lock spring washers 22 in case offailure of any members of the pack of spring washers 22 or a deficiencyof replacements or for any other reason, the axially adjustable nutportion 14 of the rotary screw, latch bolt 12 is irst screwed ot therear portion ot the bolt and the pressure plate 2t) loosened byunscrewing the studs 21 from the latch bar hub 17 after having taken ottthe latch bar 10 and removed the spring washers 22. Then the latch bar1t) is turned around so that the abutment collar 18, will come into thereverse position as illustrated by 18a in Fig. 2. The pressure plate 2Qcan now be again connected with the latch bar hub 17 'oy means of thefastening means, in the form of studs 21 and the threading 27 which isalso provided on the other side of the latch bar hub. In this positionalso the key arms 26 engage again into the openings of the receptaclesof the housing 23 so that the latch bar hub 17 again cannot be rotated.

In this way, such a position of the latch bar l@ and of its hub 17screwed therein will be taken as is illustrated in Fig. 2. In thisposition the abutment member, collar 15, of the axially movable part,the adjustable nut portion 14 of the latch bolt exerts a pressure on theabutment, as the collar at 18a, of the latch bar hub 17 by means of theball bearing 19, as at 19a, upon turning the adjustable nut portion 14outwardly. By turning the adjustable nut portion 14 in that direction,which will cause an axial movement of the latch bar 10 together with itshub 17 away from the oven chamber 2, a pressure of the oven door 4together with its sealing frame 7 is exerted on the sealing surface ofthe door frame 8.

What we claim is:

1. A door locking device for doors of coking chambers of horizontal cokeovens comprising an axially movable latch bolt member, a latch bar hubmounted on said bolt member, and a lock spring cooperating with said hubwhereby the door is kept close to the door frame of the oven chamber bypressure of said spring between the door and said hub in lockingposition of the door and hub, characterized by a reversible latch barhub that is reversibly mountable on said axially movable latch boltmember, an abutment member on the axially movable latch bolt member anda cooperating abutment on the latch bar hub which coact, in one positionof the latch bar hub, to transmit force to the spring to compress thesame to release the latch bar hub to unlocking position relative to thedoor, upon axial movement of the axially movable latch bolt member inone direction, and which coact in the reversed position of the latch barhub on the axially movable latch bolt member to transmit force of thelatter to the latch bar hub to lock the same with omission of the lockaction of the lock spring, upon axial movement of the axially movablelatch bolt member in the opposite direction to the direction it moves tocompress said lock spring.

2. A door locking device as claimed in claim l, and in which the axiallymovable latch bolt member comprises a rotary bolt with screw threadsthereon for effecting its axial movement on rotation of the bolt, and inwhich the latch bar hub is mounted on the rotary bolt for axial movementof the rotary bolt relative to the latch bar hub, and in which theabutment and the abutment member comprise a collar on the latch bar huband a cooperating collar on the rotary bolt.

3. A door locking device as claimed in claim 2, and in which the rotarybolt also comprises a pin with screw threads at the rear portion thereoffor attachment to the door and a key for restraining the pin fromrotation, screw threads on the front portion of the pin, a movable partin the form of a nut threaded on the screw threads on the front portionof the pin for axial movement therealong, and in which the latch bar hubis freely rotatably mounted on the nut, and in which the abutment memberin the form of said cooperating collar is on the nut.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, and which includes restraining meansfor securing the latch bar hub against rotation upon rotary screwrotation of the axially movable latch bolt, and which includes latch bararm means rotatably carried on the latch bar hub.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, characterized by a threadedconnection between the latch bar arm means and the latch bar hub bywhich the arm means is moved away from the door upon rotation of thelatch bar arm means on the latch bar hub during rotation of the armmeans out of contact with latch hooks therefor in unlatching the lockingdevice.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, and in which the restraining meansfor securing the latch bar hub against rotation comprises a pressureplate which is arranged between the latch bar hub and the lock springand fixedly connected to the latch bar hub, and in which the pressureplate is secured against rotation by means of key arms on the platewhich are removably insertable in receptacles therefor in a housingenclosing the lock spring.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, characterized by fastening means onboth axial sides of the latch bar hub for xedly connecting the pressureplate thereon whereby the pressure plate with its key arms can be usedon the latch bar hub in both the normal and the reversed position of thelatch bar hub on the axially movable rotary latch bolt.

Potter May 9, 1939 Otto et al Mar. l1, 1941

1. A DOOR LOCKING DEVICE FOR DOORS OF COKING CHAMBERS OF HORIZONTAL COKEOVENS COMPRISING AN AXIALLY MOVABLE LATCH BOLT MEMBER, A LATCH BAR HUBMOUNTED ON SAID BOLT MEMBER, AND A LOCK SPRING COOPERATING WITH SAID HUBWHEREBY THE DOOR IS KEPT CLOSE TO THE DOOR FRAME OF THE OVEN CHAMBER BYPRESSURE OF SAID SPRING BETWEEN THE DOOR AND SAID HUB IN LOCKING POCKINGPOSITION OF THE DOOR AND HUB, CHARACTERIZED BY A REVERSIBLE LATCH BARHUB THAT IS REVERSIBLY MOUNTABLE ON SAID AXIALLY LATCH BOLT MEMBER, ANABUTMENT MEMBER ON THE AXIALLY MOVABLE LATCH BOLT MEMBER AND ACOOPERATING ABUTMENT ON THE LATCH BAR HUT WHICH COACT, IN ONE POSITIONOF THE LATCH BAR HUB, TO TRANSMIT FORCE TO THE SPRING TO COMPRESS THESAME TO RELEASE THE LATCH BAR HUT TO UNLOCKING POSITION RELATIVE TO THEDOOR, UPON AXIAL MOVEMENT OF THE AXIALLY MOVABLE LATCH BOLT MEMBER INONE DIRECTION, AND WHICH COAT IN THE REVERSED POSITION OF THE LATCH BARHUB ON THE AXIALLY MOVABLE LATCH BOLT MEMBER TO TRANSMIT FORCE OF THELATTER TO ''THE LATCH BAR HUB TO LOCK THE SAME WITH OMISSION OF THE LOCKACTION OF THE LOCK SPRING, UPON AXIAL THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION TO THEDIRECTION IT MOVES TO COMTHE OPPOSITE DIRECTION TO THE DIRECTION ITMOVES TO COMPRESS SAID LOCK SPRING.